Bottle-washing machine



(No Model.)

L. A. KOPLIN. BOTTLE WASHING MAGHINE.

Patented Apr. 5, 1892 TH: mums PZYERS w, mowmrm, wAsmxcrcN, u c.

UNITED STATES Fries.

PATENT BOTTLE-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,368, dated April 5, 1892. Application filed March 14, 1891- Serial No. 385,022. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEBBEUS A. KOPLIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Akron, in the county-of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Washing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in bottle-washing machines; and the objects of the invention are, first, to provide a simple, compact, and efficient device for cleansing the interior of bottles or similar vessels, and, second, to provide means whereby the bottle or vessel may be moved longitudinally of the cleansing or scrubbing brush to cleanse all portions of the inner surface and at the same time effectually close the mouth to prevent the escape of water from the bottle.

With these and other ends in view my invention consists in the combination, with a suitable base or support, of a revolving shaft journaled near one end .in a rigid bracket, amovable casing guided in suitable ways on the base and provided with an upwardly-extend ing arm carrying a sleeve which fits on and assists in supporting the working shaft, a detachable cleansing or scrubbing brush fitted in one end of the revolving shaft, a flexible cushion carried by the movable casing and adapted to'enter the mouth of a bottle to prevent the escape of water from the bottle during the cleansing operation, and means con tained Within the movable casing for returning it to its normal position after pressure thereon shall have been removed.

My invention further consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of par s, as will be herein after more fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. II is a longitudinal section View of the same. Fig. III is a transverse sectional View on the line X X of Fig. I, and Fig. IV is a a detail view illustrating the construction of the cleansing-brush.

Likeletters of reference denote correspond ing parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which A designates the base or support of my malateral guides (I, which are fitted in the Ways 0 in the base or support, and the casing is provided with an upwardly-extendin g arm e,pro vided at its upper end with a short ring E. Secured within this ring or annulus E by means of a set-screw f is a horizontal sleeve F, which is of reduced diameter where it is surrounded by the ring E, and in the outer end of this sleeve F is suitably secured a cushion G, preferably made of rubber, to enter and close the mouth of a bottle.

H designates a shaft, which is journaled in the upper end of the supporting-arm B and in the sleeve F, which sleeve is in turn supported by the arm e of the casing D. This shaft H is provided at one end with a tight band-pulley 72, adapted to be rotated in any suitable manner, and the other end of the shaft normally projects some distance beyond the cushion G, said extended end receiving the end of a core or spindle K, to which a brush L is attached. This core or spindle K is preferably made of strands of wire twisted together to form a solid core or spindle, and the bristles of the brush L are attached to said core, being passed through between the strands during the process of making the core and brush, the bristles projecting on all sides of the core, thus forming a brush which is substantially circular in cross-section. To

the end of the core K are secured a number of bristles, which normally are in line with the core and form a smaller brush Z, especially designed to clean the bottom or base of the bottle on the interior thereof.

The casing D is composed of two parts (1' d, fastened together in any suitable-manner, and centrally within the casing D is journaled a transverse shaft M, to which is attached one end of a coiled spring 172., the other end of said spring being attached to the inner wall of the casing. The shaft M projects a short distance beyond the casing D on one side thereof, and 011 the outer end of the shaft is secured a gear-wheel N, the teeth of which mesh with the teeth on a rack O, rigidly attached to the inner side of one of the side pieces of the base or support A. The upper part of the gear-wheel N, which extends above the side of the base, is protected and concealed by a cover 71, suitably attached to the side of the casing D and having its lower edge resting on the guides (Z.

The operation of my invention may be briefly stated as follows: The bottle to be cleaned is filled or partially filled with water and the bottle placed over the brush L, and the bottle is shoved against the cushion G, which enters the mouth of the bottle and prevents the water from escaping, and the shaft or spindle II revolved. If the bottle is of such length that the brush will not reach from one end to the other, the attendant can, by pressing on the bottle, force the casing rearward, and thus cause the brush to traverse the whole interior surface of the bottle. As soon as pressure on the end of the bottle is removed the coiled spring at, which has become wound by gear-wheel N meshing with teeth on the rack 0 during therearward movement of the casing D, returns said casing to its normal position, the cushion G keeping the mouth of the bottle closed. The wire core of the brush is extended at one end thereof to form the spindle, and the strands of the core are shaped and utilized in providing a screw-thread p on the extended spindle. The screw-threaded spindle can be readily screwed into a threaded socket p in the end of the shaft, whereby the brush can be readily and firmly attached to the shaft and as readily disconnected therefrom.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination, with a base 01' support having a fixed arm, of a casing supported on said base and adapted to slide back and forth thereon, said casing being provided with an upwardly-extending arm, a shaft journaled in the fixed arm of the base or support and the arm of the movable casing, a brush carried by said shaft, and a spring-coiled shaft journaled in the movable casing and geared to the base, whereby the spring on said shaft is put under tension when the easin g is moved in its guides, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a base orsupport provided with slots or ways, of a movable casin g supported in said ways and provided with an arm, a shaft journaled above the base in a fixed arm thereon and in the arm of the movable casing, a brush secured to the end of the shaft, an elastic cushion or pad carried by the movable casing, a coiled spring, and a shaft journaled in the casing and connected to the spring, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

A bottle-washing machine comprising the base, a fixed supporting-arm attached to said base,a casing supported in suitable ways in the base, an upwardly-extending arm secured to said casing and provided at itsouter end with a sleeve, a shaft journaled in the fixed support and the arm of the casing, a brush attached to one end of the shaft, an elastic cushion connected with the arm of the casing and arranged concentrically around the shaft, a fixed rack on the base, and a spring geared to the rack and attached to the casing, substantially as described.

4. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination, with a base, of arotatahle shaft journaled above the base, a brush carried by said shaft, acasing supported in suitable ways in the base and adapted to move longitudinally therein under pressure. a sliding connection intermediate of the casing and the rotatable shaft, a transverse shaft journaled in said casing and having a gear-Wheel secured on one end, which meshes with the teeth of a fixed rack, and a spring within the casing and having one end connected with the shaft therein and the other connected with the Wall of the casing, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEBBEUS A. KOPLIN.

Witnesses:

M. SHOULER, JOHN EVERHART. 

